Anatomical mounting for articulators



' 1,614 I 1927' c. L. COFFlN- m ANATOMICAL MOUNTING FOR ARTIGULATORS Filed May 4, 1925 2 Sheets-She 1 c'arzzcjoyam.

Patented Jan. 18, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,614,828 PATENT OFFICE.

CARL L. 'COFFIN, OF KANSAS CITY, 'MISSOURI.

ANATOMICAL HDUNTING FOR ARTICULATORS.

Application filed May 4,

This invention relates to anatomical mountings for articulators, and has for its object to provide means for mounting a complete set of artificial teeththe upper .5 teeth and the lower teethas attached to final mouth plates in an articulator for grinding purposes, without any investment of the plates in plastic models or casts, as distinguished from the common practice where the plates, invested in plaster of Par-is or the like, are mounted in an articulator and ground by the conventional manipulation of the latter. The advantages of my type of mounting is that it is more H economical, facilitates the operation, and 0b- .viates danger of distortion of the plates, in

that the cost of approximately one pound of plaster of Paris customarily employed, is avoided, from thirty to forty minutes usually an expended in the drying of the plaster is saved, and the time and labor required for removing particles of the plaster from and between the teeth after the grinding operation is completed, is'also saved. It also 85 eliminates the danger of distortion of the plates which is incidental to their removal from the plastic models or casts.

Another object is to produce a mounting possessing the advantages enumerated,

which is adjustable to accommodate peculiarities in :the size or form of the plates, which differ of course as the mouths of different patients differ.

With the objects named in View, the in- 35 vention consists in certain novel and useful features of construction and organization of parts as hereinafter described and claimed;

and in order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had to the accom- 4 panying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation showing part of articulator of the well-known Gysi type, equipped with a mounting embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is aplan View of the construction disclosed by Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line IIIIII of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the lower 59 jaw member of the mounting detached from the articulator.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, where reference characters identify corresponding parts in all of the figures, 1 indica/tes the back-or upright portion of a' dental 1925. Serial No. 27,801.

articulator of the well-known Gysi type,and 2 is a. part of such articulator mounted for universalmovement on part 1, a spring 3 attached to part 1 and exerting downward pressure on part 2. At the lower end and sides of part 1 are sockets & and mounted .to extend into said sockets are clamping screws 5. Part 2 is provided at opposite sides of its center with sockets 6 paralleling sockets 4L, and extending down into sockets 6 are clamping screws 7.

In lieu of the customary base of the Gysi ,articulator, I provide a base 8 having tenons '9 engaging sockets 4 and secured therein by the clamping screws 5, and saidbase is provided near its front end with a longitudinal slot 10. Near its rear end the base is provided with an upstanding perforated lug 11 engaged by a clamping screw 12 for en- :gagement with the rear end of a horizontal rod or stem 13 projecting rearwardly from a post 14 mounted on the base and having av depending guide tenon 15 en aging slot 10.

The post is horizontally bi urcated at 16, and pivoted in said bifurcation by upright pins 17, is a pair of rearwardly diverging plates 18 constituting an internal clamp for a lower mouth plate L, the teeth of which face upwardly. The plates 18 are provided with depending arms 19, and opposite and outward of said arms respectively are outer or external clamping plates 20. Screws 21 extend loosely through plates and have threaded engagement with arms 19, so that the adjustment of said screws in one direction or the other shall result in clamping the plate L between plates 18 and 20, or releasing the clamping action. Pi-ns 22 extend through the plates and arms to always maintain the former in upright position.

To cooperate with the internal and external clamps described, in holding the plate L rigid with respect to the post 14 secured on rod or stem 13, I provide the post with a pair of forwardly diverging brackets or angle arms 23, and mounted in said angle arms or brackets are clamping screws 24 provided with swivelled angular feet 25 for engagement with the outer forward edge of the lower mouth plate L.

In lieu of the customary top member of the Gysi or equivalent type of articulator, I'provide a top member 26 havin rearwardly projecting tenons 27 engaging the sockets 6 of part 2, the clamping screws 7 ticulator.

both sets of teeth until they are brought to being utilized to impinge on tenons 27 to hold the plate 26 rigidly to part 2 so that it shall partake of the movement of the latter during the grinding operation, hereinafter more particularly referred to.

Extending loosely through the member 26 is a screw 28 swivelled at its lower end in a block 29 suitably secured to the rear end on the median line of an upper mouth plate U, which plate in practice is set with its teeth upon the teeth of the lower mouth plate as shown clearly in Figures 1 and 3. A plate 30 secured to the inner portion of mouth plate U below the block 29, is pivotally con nected to the front end of the lower arm of a flat U-shaped spring 31, the upper end of said spring being threaded upon the screw 28, so that when the latter is screwed down it shall then spread apart the arms of the spring and thus increase the tension of the latter and the downward pressure of the teeth of mouth plate U upon the teeth of mouth plate L. As a means of anchoring the spring against movement tending to tilt the screw 28, a vertical pin 32 extends loosely through the upper arm of the spring and is secured to the lower arm thereof, and also extends adjustably through an opening in member 26. V

As a gage in setting the mouth plate U upon the mouth plate L, a guide pin 34; is secured by a set screw 35 in the front end of member 26, and contacts at its lower end with the race ot the base near its forward extremity. After the parts have been assembled in proper relation, set screws 36 and 37 are operated to clamp screw 28 and pin 32 rigidly to member 26. Pin 34 is then removed or elevated substantially out of contact with plate base 8 and secured in such inoperative position by a set screw 35. The

operator now by applying force with his hand on member 26 can impart back and forth and lateral and rotary movement in a limited degree to the mouth plate U, through the universal movement of part 2 on part 1 as provided for in thecGysi ar- This action results in grinding true articulated and occluded relation and are ready to be placed in the mouth of the 1 patient for service.

If the downward pressure applied by the operator on member 26 is excessive, the spring 81 will yield so that there shall be no danger of one or more teeth being chipped or injured. It will be seen that the post province for longitudinal adjustment of the lower mouth plate to accommodate the upper mouth plate, and the internal clamp plates are adjustable to accommodate mouth plates of diiterent widths.

From the above description, it will be apparent that T have produced a device of the character described which possesses all the features of advantage set forth as desirable; and while I have described and claimed the preferred embodiment of the same, I reserve the right to malre all changes properly falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

1. The combination with the fixed base of an articulator, of an internal tooth-plate clamp mounted with respect to the base so that its rear end may move toward and from the median line of the articulator, a clamp bolt in engagement with said movable plate, and an external tooth-plate clamp carried by said clamp bolt.

2. The combination with the fixed base of an articulator, ofa post mounted for movement longitudinally of said base, an internal tooth-plate clamp mounted on said post so that it may move toward and from the median line of the articulator, a clamp bolt in engagement with said movable plate, and an external tooth-plate clamp carried by said clamp bolt. V

8. The combination with the fixed base and universally-movable top of an articulator, of a poston the base, internal toothplate clamps pivoted at their front ends for lateral swinging adjustment on and relative to the post, and external toothplate clamps cooperating with the internal clamps for supporting the lower tooth-plate in a fixed position above said base.

at. The combination with the fixed base and universally-movable top of an articulator, or a post on the base, internal toothplate clamps mounted on the post, and comprisin rearwardly diverging plates having depending arms, plates outward of said arms, and take-up means connecting the last-named plates and said arms.

5. The combination with the fixed base and universally-movable top of an articulator, of a post on the base, internal toothplate clamps mounted on the post, and comprising rearwardly divergingjplates havin depending arms, plates outward of said arms, take-up means connecting the last named plates and said arms, and means for preventing swivel movement of the outer plates on said take-up means.

6. The combination with an articulator having a fixed base and a universally-movable top member, of means adjustable longitudinally of and attached to the said base of the articulator, internal clamping means for a lower mouth plate, carried by said first-named means, external clamping means cooperating with the internal clamping means in the support of said tooth plate, and means carried by the universally-movable member of the articulator, and adjustable vertically and holding a top mouth plate pressed yieldingly down with its teeth engaging the teeth of the lower mouth plate.

7. The combination with a universallymovable top member of an articulator, of a plate secured to said member, parallel screw and guide pins extending downward throu h 5 said plate, a mouth plate swivelled to t e lower end of said screw, and-a spring attached pivotally at one end to said mouth plate and having a threaded en ement at its opposite end to said screw, said spring fitting on said guide pin and being attache to the lower extremity of the latter.

In witness whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

CARL L. COFFIN. 

